Canadian province to fund IVF, but only one round and one embryo

The Ontario government announced it will become only the second province in Canada to fund in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for people unable to have children otherwise, a move specialists have long urged to help curb the country’s epidemic of risky multiple births.

The province will pay for the cost of one “cycle” of IVF treatment per patient suffering from “all forms of infertility,” said Deb Matthews, the Ontario Health Minister. The government will also set up an advisory body to ensure high-quality practices are followed, including ensuring that only one embryo is used per treatment.

So-called single-embryo transfer has been shown elsewhere to cut the number of twins, triplets and other multiples that result. Patients paying for the service out of pocket now usually have two or more embryos transferred to increase their chances of pregnancy.

“Supporting the safe use of modern IVF treatment will result in fewer high risk pregnancies – while at the same time helping thousands of Ontarians realize their dream of having their own family,” Ms. Matthews said in a statement.